Over 200 Bahraini activists detained over opposition with US war on Iran

As the United States and Israel initiated a war against Iran, public opinion in Bahrain clearly manifested in opposition to this aggression. This sentiment was visible in videos circulating among Bahraini citizens who celebrated Iranian attacks on American positions within their country.

In response, the authorities of the Al Khalifa regime did not hesitate to take punitive measures against individuals sympathetic to Iran. Consequently, the number of detainees reached approximately 200 in the early days of the war, including women and a young man with a disability.

On March 27th, Bahrain was met with the news of the martyrdom of Mohammed Mousavi, a 32-year-old man from Muharraq, who died in detention under torture. He had been arrested at a checkpoint on charges of sympathizing with Iran.

Following the release of images and videos depicting Mousavi’s condition, the Ministry of Interior of the Al Khalifa regime issued a statement denying the authenticity of these documents, claiming the visuals were disseminated to incite public opinion.

However, the ministry offered no explanation for the young man’s death in the detention center of the Bahraini regime’s National Intelligence Agency, nor did it release the forensic medical report.

Conversely, the “Al-Wefaq” society announced that the released images showed a body covered in bruises, signs of beatings, and possibly indications of electric shock, considering these as material evidence of torture. The society also described the security apparatus of the Al Khalifa regime as having a long and extensive history of torture victims.

Ibrahim Al-Aradi, director of the political office of Bahrain’s February 14th Coalition, stated in an interview with Al-Akhbar newspaper that approximately 312 Bahraini men and women have been arrested since the onset of the war against Iran up to April 18th. He warned that these individuals could face trials that may even carry the death penalty.

Al-Aradi added that the public prosecution of the Al Khalifa regime has called for the execution of a group of detainees accused of collaborating with the enemy. The charge against these individuals was filming areas targeted by Iranian missiles belonging to the US Fifth Fleet in the Juffair area, an act that authorities have deemed a grave crime and treason.

Al-Aradi also mentioned that Bahraini authorities have identified a group of five individuals, including a woman and a blind youth named Jaafar Maatooq. This young man had previously condemned the assassination of the Leader of Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

Al-Aradi warned that the Al Khalifa regime authorities might carry out a “judicial massacre” with severe political and military sentences. He described the previously issued death sentences as an indicator of the high level of confusion among the Persian Gulf Arab states’ governments.

According to Al-Aradi, these actions are an attempt to escape the dangers threatening the Al Khalifa regime, especially after it lost the protective umbrella of the United States, which was called security, and its people view this as a form of foreign dependence.

Meanwhile, Jaafar Yahya, spokesperson for the Prisoners Affairs Authority in Bahrain, told Al-Akhbar newspaper that the number of documented detainees reached 204 by the end of March. However, he believes the actual number likely exceeds 300, as raids and arrests continue in villages and towns, with hundreds of summonses recorded daily, making accurate counting difficult.